West Bank Assassinations, “Grave Provocation”

Gush Shalom: West Bank Assassinations, “Grave Provocation”

The International Middle East Media Center
By George Rishmawi
IMEMC News
Thursday March 13, 2008 16:31
Courtesy Of: IMEMC

The Israeli Peace Bloc, (Gush Shalom), described the assassination of four Palestinians in Bethlehem and Tulkarem, on Wednesday as a grave provocation and accused the Israeli government of deliberately obstructing cease-fire efforts.

“The government does not want a ceasefire, but a new flare up” a press release by Gush Shalom stated.

The statement also said that the army generals and intelligence officers who send the assassination units are willingly and knowingly aim at stopping chances for calm.

“Those who sent the assassins to carry out “liquidations” today, in Tulkarm and Bethlehem, knew what they were doing – a grave act of provocation which might blow up the serious chance which had opened up, to reach ceasefire and calm.”

The press release went on stating that:

“This is a wanton, completely irresponsible act, which might return the inhabitants of Sderot, Ashkelon and Gaza back into the hell from which they momentarily escaped.”

Hamas has proposed a truce with Israel and for some days stopped the home-made shells attacks against Israeli targets adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

The home-made shells attacks were resumed immediatly after the assassination of five Palestinians in Bethlehem and Tulkarem on Wednesday.

The armed wing of the Islamic fired at elast 15 home-made shells at Sderot on Wednesday, no injuries, but damage was reported.

The press release also slammed the demolition of the house of Ala Abu Dheim, the Palestinian who killed 8 Israelis in Jerusalem attack last week, saying that the government is inciting against and punishing the family who did not do the killing.

“The incitement in the Knesset, even by the Speaker, to the vengeful destruction of a family house for a crime of which none of the people living there is guilty […] The rabbis who openly and insolently encourage their disciples to commit indiscriminate killings.”

The group also said that approving the construction of more settlement in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is “spitting in the face of the entire world.”

The Gush Shalom is one of the active groups in the West Bank and have been involved in direct actions against the Isreli occupation and the construction of the wall along with Palestinians in several West Bank areas.